Zoopolitik

The Iraq War vet sitting parallel to me across the aisle at lunch was missing his right eye and his right leg just below the knee. He spoke earnestly in a measured voice with his hawkish companion about the need to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, insisting the United States would eventually be morally and fiscally bankrupted by an opponent whose culture it did not understand.

His companion was adamant: “We have to teach the Taliban a lesson,” he insisted. “We cannot allow them to attack Washington D.C.”

I am certain he was talking about the recent threat from Baitullah Mahsud, who claimed responsibility for a school shooting near Lahore and said, “Soon we will launch an attack in Washington that will amaze everyone in the world.”

“Then we should be defending Washington,” the vet responded. “Not wasting our energy in Afghanistan. If we extend our mission every time some idiot threatens us, we’ll be there forever.”

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.